Player-piano.



l. LEISGH.

PLAYER PIANO.

APBLKCATION TILED MARJB. 191?v 1,066,633. Patented July 8, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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My W V M J. LEISUH.

PLAYER PIANO.

AFYHOATYGE FILED MAR 12, 1912,

Patented July 8, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 2.

U NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JOSEPH LEISCH, or TRYON, NORTH CAROLINA, AssIcNon T0 rim JOHN enema COMPANY, or CINCINNATI, 0310, A coRP'oRA'rIoN or onxo.

PLAYER-PIANO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

clear, and exact description, reference be-' in}; bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relatesto player pianos in which the piano keys are connected with a series of power neumatics, which are op-' crate-d mechanically by pneumatic power,

released by the exposure of openings in a tracker board by the movement of the'specially prepared slotted or perforated sheets of music, which are propelled over the tracker board to actuate the pncuinatic devices. v I

The object of my invention is to provide a construction for such player pianos wherebiyiselected notes may be accented, or a; soloa part carried in theplaying .of the instru- .ment simultaneously with the playing of other notes in the score;

The invention consists of that certain novelconstruction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter particularly pointed out and claimed, whereby the character of the stroke on the keys may be effectually controlled through the tracker board by pneumatic actionon the checks or stops for the actuating members of the power pncu m'atics, in order to vary the strength of the strqke of the pneumatic and thus the tonal effects of the instrument as desired.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of the pneumatic chest of the player piano, taken through one of the pneumatics. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of a portion of the pneumatic chest.

While I have not thought it necessary to illustrate thecomplete player piano construction, it will be understood that the o'rdinary pneumatic player chest is provided with vacuum chambers and suitable means for creating the vacuum, and the usual tracker board and tracker tubes forming the necessary passages over which the perforated music sheet passes for releasing-the vacuum to operate theselected pneumatics which are coupled with the piano action. Primary and secondary pouches and valves andpowcr pnclunat-ics are provided for each Patented July 8, 1913.

' Application filed March 13,1212. Serial No. 684,444,

note, and the player chest is dividedinto two parts as 'usual, one half of the chest for the bass and the other half for the treble notes on the piano. In order toeconomize space, the several power pneumatics,on e for each, note, are arranged in, 4 pairsof three in staggered relationto each 1 other.

The body of the pneumatic chest is represented by l, and in the upper portion of the chest a primary vacuum chamber 2 is located, a common chamber for all of "the trackertubes for 'each' half-of the player piano. The several tracker tubes 3 are connected with this common vacuum chamber by the passageways 4 connecting withthe primary pouches 5. The pouches 5 operate the valves 6, provided with the valve disks 7 and 8 to close or open the respective indi vidual passageways 9 to the vacuumchain her 2 or the outer air. In their normal=p0 sition, the pouches 5 aredefl'ated, and the passageways 9 are open into"the;v'acuum chamber 2 and closed, to the outer air. These passageways 9'extend tothei r IQSPBC-I t-ivc ports 10in the secondary vacuum chamber. 11 in which are located the-secondary pouches 12 which operate" thefvalves 13, opening or closing the ports 14 into thev secondary vacuum chamber 11 or thepol' 'ts, 15 to the outer air into the passageways 16, which each leads to and opens into its respective power pneumatic 17. The respective power Pneumatics 17 are of theusual bellows type, comprising the movable member 18 and the fixed member 19 with bellows fold 20, while the movable member 18 is provided with an extension '21,.arranged to contact witha lug 22 on the sticker 23 of its respectivc'piano action.

Mounted inside the neumatic is a strip of spring metal-24, suitably secured vto the under surface of thefixed member of the pneumatic at .25. The free end of this spring plate 24 is preferably provided with a felt washer 26, which bears against the central portion 27 of a pouch 28, which pouch, of leather or other'suitable material, is secured across and closes the lower end of a cap 29 which is scre'wthreaded or otherwise secured in a screwthreaded recess in the fixed member of the pneumatic. This cap 29 is provided with ascrewthreaded set the cap toward the pouch'28, forming a fixed adjustable stop for the central portion of the pouch 27 and the end 26 of the spring plate 24..

The cap 29-is provided with a tube 31 opening therein, which connects with the passageway leading to an individual chamber 33 in the pneumatic chest for the passageway. lhese chambers 33 are provided with ports 34 to the outer air and ports into a common vacuum chamber 36 in the pneumatic chest for all the passageways. Located in the chamber as are a series of pouches 37 for the passageways 38, each provioed with a secondary tracker tube 35) running to supplemental tracker openings in the tracker board. The pouches 37 are each provided with the double-seated valve 4'0v opening and closing the chambers 33 to the outer air and to the vacuum chain ber 36.

It will be understood that each power pneumatic is providedwith a similar coir struction and arrangement of valves and passageways to that just described.

For a contact member for each of the mov able members 18 of the power pneumatics, I provide the-cushion 41, of felt or other suit able material, located underneath and in line with the spring plate 24. This cushion is arranged for longitudinal adjustment in'any desired way, and as illustrated is mounted on the screw 42, which projects through a narrow longitudinal slot 43 in the movable member, with the slot protected and covered for all adjustments by the cover plate 454. The screw 42 is provided with the winged nut 45 for holding the contact cushion ll in any desired position of adjustmentwithin the limits of the length of the slot, the cushion' being so arranged for all adjustments that it will contact with the spring 24 in the upward movement of the movable member between the. free endv 26 and the fixed inner end of the sprin The movable members of the power pneu inatic of the selected power pneuniatics will be operated in the ordinary way through the tracker board release and tracker tubes 3 and. their connections, and in the upward movement the movable member will be checked by contact with the spring plate 24, with the outer end bearing against the pouch 28, which provides an air cushion as a stop, and for ordinary effects this air cushion will furnish a sutlicient check and stop for the pneumatic action. v j

[n the event that it is desired to accent any of the notes, or to carry a solo part, the music sheet will he provided with supplemental slots to open the desired supple mental tracker tube 351). the elect of this will he to close the outer air passageway from the selected pneumatic through they a tube 31, passageway and port a l, and

open. said passageway to the vacuum chamber 36, thus subjecting the pouch 28 to the suction of the chestand permitthe free end of the spring plate to come in contact with the set screw 30 without the intervention of any air cushion The setscrews 30 and the position of the striking cushions at are properly adjusted, so that for the normal unaccented operation of the several pneumatics, the air cushion produced by the pouch 28 in closing the cap' 29 shall be a necessary part of the stop. When this air cushion is withdrawn by subjecting the in terior of the cap to the exhaust, the action of such pneumatics vill necessarily be sharper and more pronounced, and thus the tones desired will be properly accented.

Having thus described thy-invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a player piano, a power pneumatic having a fixed and a movable member, a stop for the power pneumatic to serve as an abutment for the movable member pomprising a relatively fixed stop and an air cushion stop interposed between the stop and the movable member of the pneumatic, with means for decreasing the pressure within the air cushion stop to bring the fixed stop into action a 2. In a player piano, a power pneumatic having a fixed and. a movable member, a stop for the power pneumatic to serve as an abutment for the movable member comprising a relatively fixed stop and an air cushion slop interposed between the. fixed stop and the movable member of the pneumatic, with to control the pressure in the air cushion stop, to bring the fixed stop into action.

In a player piano, a power pneumatic tuning a. fixed and a movable member, a stop for the power pneumatic, comprising a relatively lined stop and a pneumatic pouch within which the fixed stop projects, a strip of resilient. metal secured at one end within the power pneumatic, to the fixed member there-oi, with the free end thereof engaging the pneumatic pouclnand a contact projection'on the movable member of the pneuinatic to contact with said spring with means for decreasing the pressure within a primary pneumatic pouch and tracker tube' the pouch to bring the fixed stop into action."

plelnentary tracker tube to control the pres sure in the pneumatic stop to bring the fixed stop into action.

In a player piano, :1 power pneumatic Z having a fixed and a movable member, and a v i stop to serve as an abutmentfor the said having a fixed and a movable member, a 1

stop for the power pneumatic, comprising a relatively fixed stop and a pneumatic pouch within which the fixed stop projects, a strip of resilient metal secured at one end within the power pneumatic to thefixed member thereof, with the free end thereof engaging the pneumatic pouch, and a longitudinally adjustable contact projection on the removable member of the pneumatic to cont-act with said spring intermediate the point of 1 engagement with the pouch and the fixed end thereof. with means for decreasing the pressure Within the pouch to bring the fixed i .1 l 1 stop into action.

6. In a player piano, a power pneumatic movable member consisting in an air cushion interposed between the movable member and the fixed member, with means for de creasing the pressure within the air cushion to remove it from its interposition.

7. In a player piano, :1 power pneumatic having a fixed and a movable member, anda stop to serve as an abutment for the movable member interposed bet-ween the movable member and the fixed member COI1S1St1llgll'l an air cushion. with means including a pri- 

